PA Council Member Accused of Selling City Lots to Insiders, Requiring Buyers to Hire Campaign Contributors

Philly Tribune: “According to the lawsuit filed this week by Michael Pollack, who owns Bag of Holdings, LLC, Johnson was trying to sell city-owned vacant lots to his political insiders and allegedly demanded the buyers use a developer who gave contributions to his political campaign. Through his attorney A. Jordan Rushie, Pollack alleged in doing so, Johnson violated the city’s sale and development policies.

“City policy requires qualified buyers of up-for-sale lots make an expression of interest on those properties, which the complaint alleged Bag of Holdings did. However, many of those properties in the 2nd district ended up being scheduled for sale to Johnson’s political insiders, according to the complaint. According to city policy, a qualified purchaser of its properties is someone who doesn’t own any property that is subject to violation of city codes or ordinances, and has not been in a completed tax foreclosure within five years.”